One to Ten
by Politics.and.Prose
Summary: It's a simple question he posed to her: one to ten, how over him is she? Finchel. Mentions of Brochel. M because I'm kinda trashy.


**Based on this prompt from samsships on Tumblr: **

rachel and brody break up because he overhears rachel and finn going at it like rabbits. her apartment, in the parking lot, an empty alley, the womens bathroom. anywhere really. i'm not picky ;D

Glee is not mine and if it was, _this _would be happening sooner rather than later.

* * *

Tonight was the night. He could feel it in his bones – heh – that Rachel was finally going to undo that chastity belt she slapped on when she and Finn broke up for good. It had been a long two months of him constantly complimenting her and telling her she was a star and it was starting to get tiring. Honestly, who needed that much validation? He was twenty one and had already been on Broadway so maybe he was a lot further ahead in the game than she was but, seriously, he shouldn't have to keep telling her those things. It was like she rewarded him with kisses though because when he called her a star he got a kiss. She was less enthusiastic about him calling her sexy or hot or smokin' but she was still young and she would learn to appreciate that when directors started saying it to her. Talent wasn't everything in Broadway, you know.

They had been dating, if you could call it dating, for about eight weeks, since a few days after she got back from Lima and her ex's high school production of _Grease_. He bought her flowers and coffee and kissed her and she let him and smiled and giggled so there it was. She was still so young and caught between high school and college and he thought he could definitely be the one to help her with her real world experience. And that included her first not high school, real world orgasm with a man, not the boy she was dating for far too long. Finn wasn't a bad guy, not really, but his Rachel was much too good for a guy who crapped out of the Army and ran home with his tail between his legs. Rachel was a star (which he would tell her again tonight) and she deserved to be with someone like her, another star. She would eventually deserve to be with _him_ but for now, he could make an exception and wait it out. But, God, he needed to _be with her_ before something unpleasant went on down south.

As he climbed the stairs to her apartment, he pulled out the key Kurt had slipped him with a wink when he'd told her best friend he wanted to surprise his girl. He was going to give her the flowers he bought, take her out to dinner and then dancing and then he was going to bring her back to her apartment – her _empty_ apartment because Kurt was really an awesome guy – and he was going to have sex with her like he'd been trying to do since, well, since day one, really. She was hot and he was hot and he couldn't stop thinking about how hot they would be together. So, with a bounce in his step, he reached Rachel's floor and went to her door, sliding the key into the lock and pushing it open. What he found inside was definitely not a part of his grand plan for the evening though.

* * *

It wasn't even planned. He had no idea how he ended up standing on a curb outside of JFK at three in the afternoon on a Thursday. It wasn't normal, obviously, and it definitely hadn't been something he'd been plotting to do for any amount of time. Honestly, Sectionals were over and the club wanted the week off and without Rachel there, no one bothered to protest that. He thought they were probably burned out or something and that was fine. He understood where they were, he'd been there last year, so he gave them the whole week off from glee club, just to unwind and relax. And then Mr. Schue – _Will_ – would be back in charge anyway.

He found himself unable to do what he'd told them to do. He couldn't relax, couldn't unwind, couldn't do anything but think about Rachel and their no contact agreement. He knew it was stupid and if he'd been over her it wouldn't have mattered. But he wasn't and he could admit that and he knew by the look in her eyes that night that she wasn't over him either. He didn't know what the deal with Brody was and he didn't really care. If she loved Brody then she would have to tell him to his face and then he could move on. He could close the book and walk away like she had. But until she looked into his eyes and told him she didn't love him, that she loved someone else, he wasn't going to give up. Not on her, not on them.

So here he was, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth as he watched a cab pull up in front of him. He nodded when the guy asked if he needed a ride and he climbed into the back seat with his duffle bag and told the guy where in Brooklyn to go. He knew she would probably be getting in from class about the same time he arrived, so he wasn't all that worried about waiting in the hall for her to get home. His biggest worry would be that Kurt would be there too. He didn't want to answer any questions. He needed to do the asking and then he could be done. Either there was something to fight for or there wasn't and once he knew that, he would know his course of action.

When they pulled up in front of Kurt and Rachel's building, he paid the driver and got out of the cab, glancing up towards their window before heading to the door. He gave a little wave at the guy who tried to steal his pants the last time he was here before jogging up the steps and heading inside. The trip upstairs was probably the most nerve-wracking and he briefly wondered if she would open the door and Brody would be in there. Again. But that would be the answer he was coming for so it would make things a lot less awkward if he was. Or, more awkward but he would have his answer and he could go home and then figure out what he was going to do from there. He knew he could always stay at the shop and help Will out but maybe, just maybe, he was meant for something more.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he actually passed the right floor, so he had to go back down a flight to get to her apartment. When he got there, he took a breath and squared his shoulders before knocking. When there was no answer, he knocked again because it was 4:00 and she should be back by now and he couldn't actually let himself think that she was with Brody behind the door. "Hold your horses! I'm coming!" he heard from behind the door and, yeah, if there was anything important going on in there, she wouldn't be answering it. He chose to ignore the fact that she'd answered the door for him when Brody had been in there before and focused on the fact that she was coming to answer the door anyway.

He could tell she was surprised when she saw him there – of course she was, she had no idea he was coming – but all he could do was smile crookedly and shrug. He watched as she licked her lips and could see the internal battle she was having inside of herself and he knew the moment the part that still missed him won. She silently stepped aside so he could enter her apartment and he did so without a word. He heard her shut the door behind him so he walked further inside and placed his bag down by the couch before turning to her. He didn't really know what he was supposed to say so he just shoved his hands into his pockets, shrugged and said, "Hey."

She stared at him for a minute before shaking her head and letting out a breath. "Give me your coat. It's warm in here." He honestly wasn't sure what reaction he was expecting but that definitely wasn't it. He complied, however, removing his jacket and handing it to her so she could take it over to the coat rack. He thought maybe she was buying time and that was okay because he really could use it too. When she turned back around, she crossed her arms over her chest and kinda looked him up and down. It was a little unnerving but it was Rachel so he was okay with it. More like he was used to it. She used to do this, size him up, before every argument they got into. He wasn't sure if she thought he would actually be smaller after each time she cut him down to size but whatever. She was Rachel.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked after a couple of minutes of just staring at him. "I thought we agreed no contact. In fact, I believe _you_ were the one who initiated that little rule."

He wanted to roll his eyes really, really bad but he knew that wouldn't be the smartest thing he'd ever done. "Yeah, I know I did. And to be honest, I really don't know. Well," he amended, "okay. I do know why I'm here." He paused and moved his hands from his pockets to his hips. "I just … God, I should have written down what I wanted to say on the plane." He shook his head and held his arms out helplessly. "I need to know," he told her seriously. "I need to know if it's … How over me are you? I need to know that. On a scale of one to ten, how over me are you?"

"Finn …"

"One being totally not over me and ten being there's been someone else in your bed within the last forty eight hours."

"Finn, you're being completely ridiculous," she said with a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. She looked irritated and he really couldn't blame her. "I'm not answering that. It's none of your business.

He begged to differ. "It totally is because if that number's any lover than, like, five, then I … then we need to … things change, okay? So just … just tell me. One to ten, how over me are you?"

"Finn, just-just stop it. I'm not answering that." She moved her arms from across her chest to around her middle, which to Finn meant she was close to answering but it was something she didn't want to admit. He thought that was either going to be really good for him or really bad for him. Judging by the way she wouldn't make eye contact, he thought it was probably the former. "It doesn't matter anyway. No matter what my answer would be, nothing would change either way."

He nodded because she could very well be right. She could say she was still in love with him but call him a coward for walking away when he was here a couple of months ago. She wouldn't be wrong, exactly, but she wouldn't be right, either. He thought the cowardly thing for him to do would have been to stay. He'd had no direction at all and hiding in New York, working crappy jobs, probably at second rate auto shops, would have been the _real_ cowardly thing to do. In fact, he thought it took a lot of courage to walk out – _sneak_ out – on Rachel Berry. He'd paid for it in the end though.

"It might not change anything," he agreed, "but I still want you to answer me. It's a simple question, Rachel. One to ten." She looked like she was getting pissed and maybe when he was in high school that would have been enough to get him to stop. Now, though, after everything, it kind of just spurred him on. "You know, you not answering is really more telling than any number you'd lie with," he said with a shrug.

"You don't know what you're talking about," she snapped back. "Just because I'm not quick to tell you a number doesn't mean I'm not over you. All it means is that I'm angry and I don't like this silly game you made up to try to figure out where we stand. Where we stand is _not talking_."

He chuckled a little and shook his head. "Not talking, huh?"

"Not a single word," she huffed as she crossed her arms again and looked away.

"Hate to break it to you but we've been talking for, like, five minutes. I think it's safe to say that we're no longer on any kind of not speaking terms. So if you could just answer me …"

"Finn, stop! Just stop, okay? Tell me what number you want to hear, I'll say it and then we can forget this whole stupid conversation happened. You can take your bag and leave and we can just be done. Like I said I wanted."

He narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her. "I think maybe what you said and what you wanted are two very different things. Just tell me your number, Rachel, and then this whole stupid conversation, as you called it, can be over." He took another step and watched her swallow. The number he thought he was at just got a little lower because he knew that swallow wasn't because she was afraid of him. She never had been and he was going to make sure she never was. He got close to her, his hands moving to rest on her hips, as he said lowly, "Tell me the number, Rachel."

"I'm seeing Brody!" she blurted out and that made him drop his hands quicker than anything else could have. "I – I'm …"

He shook his head and backed up, his hands held in the air in surrender. "Hey, no, I get it. You don't …" He took a breath and looked down at the ground, his hands moving to his hips in disbelief. He should have prepared himself better for that. He'd thought of every scenario involving the other guy but, for some reason, never included that one. "Point taken. I'll just … wow. Sorry. I'll go."

"Finn, I …"

"No," he interrupted her. "No, you don't have to say anything. This is … this is good. Now I know, you know? That was … that was good." He reached up and rubbed at her nose before bending to pick up his bag. "Now I know there's nothing left for me here."

"That's … Finn, come on …"

He smiled a little sadly and shook his head. "It's _okay_, Rachel. I got the answer I came here for. It wasn't … it wasn't what I was hoping for but it got answered so now I can … I can do the same." He swallowed thickly and nodded once before turning to the door. "Sorry for showing up like this. It won't happen again."

"I – Finn," she said weakly. "Don't – don't leave like this." He could hear her moving behind him and after a second he felt her hand on his arm. "Please don't leave like this."

He turned back to her and shook his head. "It's okay, Rachel. I'll be okay. And you … you have Brody now. You don't need me." He bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling away. "I should go." Her hand clamped around his forearm again and he turned back to her, his brow lifted in confusion. "Rachel?"

She tightened her hand but looked away from him and he knew this was going to be her admission. She licked her lips and shook her head. "I wanted to tell you ten," she said softly. "I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me when you left. But then … but then I thought that might hurt you too much and tell you seven. Or five. But those … those aren't the truth either." She swallowed and squeezed his arm before squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "The truth is, I think we both know the number but I'm too stubborn to say it and you're too afraid to think it."

He gulped and placed his hand over hers on his arm. He knew it was kind of trembling but that was okay because Rachel wouldn't judge him for it. "Rachel … are you …? But … Brody …"

She shook her head and looked into his eyes. "You're the only one I've ever been with." She squared her shoulders and took a breath. "Ask me again, Finn."

He swallowed and closed his eyes for a second before meeting hers again. "One to ten, Rachel. How over me are you?"

"One," she answered immediately before she was in his arms and kissing him.

He dropped his bag and deepened the kiss and when she whimpered, he lifted her into his arms and held her close. His heart was pounding and there were a billion butterflies in his stomach and this was the most at home he'd felt since the day he put her on the train to New York. He held one hand around her hip and the other slid up into her hair, holding the back of her head as he kissed her like it had been years. _This_ was definitely the answer he'd been hoping for.

Judging by the way she was touching him and making these little moans into his mouth, he knew it was time to find somewhere more comfortable. He knew Rachel as well as he knew himself and there was no way he could mistake he actions for anything other than the fact that there was some awesome makeup sex in their future. He grinned into her lips because it was in their _immediate_ future. "Finn," she murmured against his lips. "Bed."

Did he know his girl or did he know his girl? He broke their kiss to look around because he hadn't been there in a while and he didn't remember where everything was. He ignored her pout and started heading for her bedroom. They didn't say anything because they didn't need to, and when they arrived, he laid her on the bed and smiled down at her. He was just kicking off his shoes when he heard her say, "Two."

He looked up in confusion, his head titled to the side, and just looked at her for a moment. "What?" he asked.

"The longer you take," she said teasingly, "the higher the number goes."

God did he love playful Rachel. He loved every Rachel, of course, including the bossy and annoying ones, but playful Rachel was _always_ a lot of fun. He continued to look at her, a wide smile on his face, until she crooked her finger at him and gave him _the look_. He whipped his shirt over his head with a laugh before joining her on the bed, settling between her legs as if yesterday had been the last time they'd done this.

"I wanted to do that," she pouted as she ran her hand over his chest.

"Next time," he promised before kissing her deeply. Because there was no doubt in his mind that there would definitely be a next time. Probably even one today.

His hand slid up her side and under her shirt to rest on the warm skin of her side as their kiss continued, only breaking slightly every couple of minutes for them to gulp in some air before their lips attached again. He moaned into her mouth and she rolled her hips up against his and had it really been as long as he thought it was since the last time he made love with her? That wasn't acceptable, not to him, and obviously not to her as she reached down and started tugging at the hem of her shirt.

He broke the kiss completely and smiled down at her and slid his hand under the back of her shirt to press against the small of her back. He lifted her with one arm and tugged her shirt over her head with his free hand. He laughed at the surprised expression on her face, murmuring that he works out before bending and kissing her again. His hand slid up her side to cup her bra-covered breast as his tongue pressed against her bottom lip and then into her willing mouth. His thumb located her nipple and he began to rub slowly across it, a smile touching his lips when she whimpered and wiggled beneath him. Still as responsive as ever.

He wasn't surprised when, the next time they broke for air, she tilted her head back and started talking. He thought maybe she needed to talk to survive or something so he just decided to pause the kissing and let her go. "You know," she breathed as she laced her fingers through his hair and kind of pushed his head down, "you can take my bra off if you want to. I know _I_ want you to." Demanding as ever too. "We can do slow next time, okay? Just … please don't make me wait any longer."

His eyebrows raised and he gave her a little smirk because this wasn't atypical of her. When they wanted to sneak in a little _alone time_ between glee and when her dads or his mom got home, she would kinda just tell him it was time to just go ahead and do it. He didn't want to do it like that this time, it made him think someone else would be coming to interrupt them and then he remembered that she lives with his brother. Yeah, now was good with him too.

He made quick work of her bottoms and his before he moved his fingers to tease at her entrance. She may have said she was ready but if it had been as long for her as it had for him, he didn't want to risk hurting her when he pushed in. He needed to make sure she was relaxed and ready before he made any kind of move. He slid his fingers through her folds and grinned in satisfaction as she breathed his name and arched into his hand. He slowly moved up to her clit and circled it tightly, his eyes on her face. He didn't want to make her come, just put her on the edge. With his finger still slowly working her bundle of nerves, he bent and pulled a nipple into his mouth, pleased with the cry she let out immediately.

"Please, Finn, now," she begged in a rough voice. "Condoms are in the night stand."

He didn't want to think about why she had them there, so he didn't. He blindly reached over and pulled the drawer open, maybe a little too roughly because her lamp fell over, but he grabbed the box, ripped the top off and pulled one out. Or he tried for just one but a whole string or whatever was what he got so he ripped one off and shoved the others under her pillow. "For later," he said as he sat up and ripped the package of the condom open. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he rolled it on and settled himself between her knees once again.

Before he could ask, she was nodding. "I'm sure. I need you," she breathed. "Please, just …"

He lined himself up and slid inside of her, slowly to give her time to readjust to him. Her hands moved immediately to his shoulders and he could feel her nails digging in as he pulled out and pushed back in. His eyes met hers and she smiled a little before lifting her hips against his and tightening her hold on him. That was her way of saying she wanted more and she wanted it now. And who was he to deny his girl anything?

Following her instruction, he pulled out and pushed back in faster, then a little faster until he set a rhythm that had her moaning every time he was buried completely inside of her. He bent to kiss her, deep and hard, but she broke away after a few minutes to cry his name out really loudly.

* * *

"_Finn!" _he heard and his brow wrinkled in confusion because wasn't that her lame ex's name? He shut the door behind him as he moved further inside, pausing to notice a duffle bag on the floor by the coach. There was no way in hell he was thinking what was happening was actually happening. No way.

He followed the sound of her voice (_"Yes. Harder. Faster. Finn!"_) to her bedroom and he was actually shocked to be blinded by a pale, white man's ass. He wanted to look away but he couldn't help but watch for a second, observe how their fingers were laced together and the look on her face … he was supposed to be the one putting that there tonight.

Deciding he'd had enough, he cleared his throat. And then he did it again a little louder because obviously they were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear him the first time. When they didn't respond again, he decided to speak up. "Sorry to interrupt …"

He watched in amusement as Finn looked over his shoulder and saw him standing in the doorway. His girl's ex – though it didn't really look that was now – grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the bed and covered them both as he moved to sit beside her. He laughed when Finn pulled a pillow over his crotch because, come on, he was pretty sure he knew the kid was hard.

"Brody, I …"

He stayed silent, waiting to see what she would say. Would she make it out to be his fault? Would she say it just happened? How would his little star try to get out of this one? He raised his eyebrows as she floundered for the right words – were there any? – to get her out of the situation she'd put herself in. He crossed his arms over his chest, wondering why she wasn't talking, instead looking between him and Finn. Was she trying to make some kind of decision right now? Because, God, who would pick that _kid_ over him? He was on Broadway!

"It's like _The Notebook_," Finn finally said and his attention snapped to the dude that was sitting in bed naked with his girl. "It's, okay, so I'm the blond guy and you're the other one. She loved me first," he said seriously, "and I don't think she loves you but she really likes you so that can count. But, like, me and Rachel are like the blonde guy and the chick who loses her memory. In like every movie," he said in confusion as he glanced at Rachel before turning his eyes back on him. "But, yeah. Me and Rachel are, like, _forever_, you know? And I'm sorry this happened …" Rachel smacked Finn on the arm and both men rolled their eyes. "Okay. I'm not sorry _this_ happened," the kid said as he motioned at himself and Rachel, "but I'm sorry you got hurt and I'm sorry you found out like this."

"Me too," Rachel said softly as she reached out to grab Finn's hand. "I wasn't ready to move on but I thought you could help me get there."

"I can," he told her seriously. "Rachel, I can help you get over him."

He felt his stomach sink when she shook her head. "I don't want you to," she said in a whisper. "I don't want to be over him."

He stood there in the entryway to her room for a minute to digest what she said. She was using him to try to get over her ex but it hadn't worked and now, what, she was going to get back with him? Bullshit. "Come on, that's crazy. You've already proven you can't do long distance. It'll just hurt more if you keep breaking up and making up. This isn't high school anymore."

"Dude, no offense, but she made up her mind. And … and maybe there won't be any long distance. But that's for me and her to work out, okay? So, like I said. Sorry you found out like this but it is what it is," Finn told him unapologetically. "So, like, if you could …" He pointed toward the door. "Me and Rach were kinda in the middle of something."

"Finn!" Rachel hissed before turning her attention back to him. "Brody, I never meant -"

"Just save it," Brody said as he rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You know, at least Cassie followed through when she flirted with me. We could have been good together. Now we're nothing."

He didn't wait for anymore comments from the two kids in the bed, instead turning and walking out, slamming the door shut behind him. It shoudn't really bother him, she was just supposed to be a steady lay, but it pissed him off. Who did she think she was, acting like she liked him and then sleeping with her ex? He rolled his eyes at himself and pulled out his phone as he headed back down the stairs. He pressed a few numbers and smiled when the phone rang and the voice he wanted to hear picked up. "Hey there," he said with a grin on his face. "I'll be over in about half an hour. Got you some flowers too."


End file.
